I'll Stand By You by Elissa Montanti One Woman's Mission to Heal the Children of the World

“The saint of Staten Island” (People magazine) shares the inspirational story of how she’s changing the world, one child at a time

Fourteen years ago, Elissa Montanti was reeling from the loss of several loved ones when she decided to work past her grief by collecting school supplies for Bosnian children. Then a U.N. ambassador showed her a photo of Kenan, a young boy who had lost both arms and one leg to a landmine.

Elissa invited Kenan and his mother into her home, arranging free airfare, prosthetics, and medical care. Operating out of her apartment’s walk-in closet, Elissa’s Global Medical Relief Fund has since helped more than one hundred and fifty children from twenty-two countries injured in war zones and natural disasters around the world. I’ll Stand by You recounts Elissa’s remarkable story and how—in helping these children—she healed herself.

ELISSA MONTANTI is the founder of the Global Medical Relief Fund, a one-woman organization dedicated to helping children injured in war zones. She lives in Staten Island, New York.JENNIFER HAUPT is a journalist who has written for O, The Oprah Magazine; Psychology Today; and Ladies' Home Journal, among others.

Unrated Critic Reviews for I'll Stand By You

Kirkus Reviews

Seeing pictures of children who had lost limbs during the war triggered an emotional response, allowing Montanti "to hear a faint melody.” From there, she embarked on her own crusade to aid these wounded children.

Publishers Weekly

After her parentsâ divorce and the deaths of her mother, an old boyfriend, and grandmother, Montani was holed up in her small Staten Island apartment working as a medical assistant and suffering from debilitating panic attacks and depression.